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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Hayden Vernon

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr team up with Dolly Parton on Let It Be

Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney in 2016.
Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney in 2016. Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have reunited to team up with Dolly Parton for her cover of Let It Be.

The country music star’s piano-led version of the 1970 single features the two surviving Beatles as well as Peter Frampton and Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood.

“Well, does it get any better than singing Let It Be with Paul McCartney who wrote the song? Not only that, he played piano,” Parton said in a tweet.

“Well, it did get even better when Ringo Starr joined in on drums, Peter Frampton on guitar and Mick Fleetwood playing percussion. I mean, seriously, how much better does it get?”

McCartney tweeted back: “Thanks Dolly for doing my song. I love your version and am very pleased to be by your side on this one. Rock on!”

The two former Beatles have collaborated in recent years. They worked together on Starr’s songs Here’s to the Nights and We’re on the Road Again, but the two surviving members have seldom performed together on covers of Beatles tracks.

The cover of Let It Be is the latest single from Parton’s forthcoming album, Rockstar.

Parton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, despite her initial protests that she had not “earned the right” as she did not make rock music. At the time she vowed to put out a rock’n’roll album in the future.

In May this year she announced that Rockstar would be that album.

Dolly Parton at the Academy of Country Music awards in May
Dolly Parton at the Academy of Country Music awards in May. Photograph: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images

“I am very honoured and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure,” she said in a press release.

The album – Parton’s 49th – will feature 21 covers of classic songs, along with nine of her own originals, and will include more than 40 guest artists across its 30 tracks.

The album, which comes out on 17 November, features collaborations with Miley Cyrus, Sheryl Crow, Lizzo, Elton John, Chris Stapleton, Stevie Nicks and Sting, as well as the former Beatles.

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